Branch's green movement died in Seattle

Sunday

Things didn't work out the way either Deion Branch or the Seahawks hoped after the Patriots traded the receiver to Seattle following a holdout in 2006.

Branch was an OK player in the Pacific Northwest, which hardly justified the first-round pick and subsequent millions it cost the Seahawks to acquire the former Super Bowl MVP.

Nonetheless, Branch helped make a permanent impression on the franchise during his four-plus seasons there. Although neon green is a secondary uniform color of the Seahawks — showing up in the logo's hawk eye — Branch brought the color to the forefront when he wore green gloves in his first game in Seattle.

It didn't take long for the bright color to catch on with his teammates and the fans in the frequently dreary and rainy Emerald City.

The Seahawks gave out 50,000 pairs of green gloves for their home playoff game with Dallas that year. And when the Patriots played there in 2008, the stands were filled with supporters waving neon-green towels.

“I don't want to say I was the one who did that, but I was a part of it,” said Branch, who was reacquired by the Patriots Oct. 12. “I thought it was great, man. It fit that team, it fit that city. It was a good thing that happened, and I'm glad to say I was a part of it.”

But proving you can have too much of a good thing, the Seahawks introduced green jerseys last season for their game with the Bears. Two days after losing, 25-19, then-coach Jim Mora declared the jerseys retired because they had lost the game.

Others believe it was just an excuse concocted by the tradition-minded Mora, who was fired in January after going 5-11 in his one season.

“A lot of people didn't like them because it went against the Seattle tradition and the old school, but I thought it was pretty cool,” Branch said.

The obvious question is whether Branch made a little coin off his marketing wizardry. “No sir, I didn't get a cut,” he said with a laugh.

With an NFL-high 10 Pro Bowlers last season, the Vikings don't lack for players with exceptional talent. Although running back Adrian Peterson and defensive end Jared Allen belong in the conversation, left guard Steve Hutchinson is arguably the best of the lot.

How good are we talking? How about being named All-Pro six of the past seven years, including the last five? He was second team the other year.

How about being named to the NFL's 2000s all-decade team last season?

How about being a four-year captain who is poised to make his 70th straight start as a Viking today when Minnesota plays the Patriots?

As for that durability thing, Hutchinson has started all 138 NFL games he has appeared in since entering the NFL with Seattle as the 17th overall pick in 2001. The only season he didn't go wire-to-wire in was 2002 when a broken leg sidelined him after four games.

Hutchinson isn't a late bloomer.

He was named to Florida's all-century high school team in 2007, one of 33 players to make the cut. He was a four-year starter and two-time All-American at the University of Michigan, helping the Wolverines win the national title in 1997 while blocking for some guy named Brady.

So do yourself a favor today and take your eye off the ball once in a while to watch No. 76 do his unparalleled road-paving thing. You won't be disappointed.

Things to look for in Week 8: The Jets' LaDainian Tomlinson, a legitimate NFL MVP candidate, needs 20 rushing yards to become the seventh player in history to reach 13,000 for his career. He'll also join Walter Payton as the only players with 13,000 rushing yards and 4,000 receiving yards. On a side note, Tomlinson has five rushing touchdowns in his last four games. When he has at least two in a game — something he has done an NFL-record 38 times — his teams are 36-2. … The Steelers' Ben Roethlisberger needs 139 passing yards to join Terry Bradshaw (27,989) as the second quarterback in franchise history with 20K. … With a win over the Bills, the Chiefs can become the seventh team to open a season 4-0 at home one year after losing at least their first four games in their own house. Four of those teams ultimately went undefeated at home, the last being the 2007 Carolina Panthers. … No, it's not your imagination. There has been a preponderance of 50-yard field goals. One more will make 35, the most ever at this point in a season. Kickers are on pace to make 83 50-yarders, which would shatter the mark of 66 set two years ago.

The Colts are not in first place in the AFC South, although they may very well end up there for the sixth time in seven years. But at 4-2, they'll have to run the table to match last year's record.

The Chargers (AFC West), Cowboys (NFC East) and 49ers (NFC West) are in last place in their divisions while the Vikings (NFC North) and Saints (NFC South) are in third place. All were heavy preseason favorites to claim crowns.

On the other end, the 3-4 Rams and 4-2 Buccaneers have already surpassed their number of victories last season — those being 1 and 3, respectively — while the 4-2 Chiefs and 4-3 Redskins have matched theirs. The 4-2 Seahawks are one win away from doing that.

Hardly anyone saw this coming, and by that we mean fans and the media. But on the first day of Patriots training camp, coach Bill Belichick cautioned about assuming too much. He recently reiterated that point when asked for an early-season observation on the standings.

“I'd say, like usual in the NFL, pretty much anything can happen any week,” he said. “Teams that you might expect to win don't win. Teams that you might not expect to win, win and win big. A lot of real close, competitive games come down to the last possession, the last play, or one key play right at the end of the game. (It) looks very competitive to me all the way across the board.”

Vegas has taken note. For example, bodog.com listed the Cowboys as 9-1 preseason picks to make the Super Bowl. They're 65-1 at the moment, which seems remarkably low considering the Pokes have as much chance of getting to the big game as the winless Bills, who are posted at 1,000-1.

The Raiders set a franchise record with 59 points in demolishing Denver last weekend, just over a year after the Patriots hung up 59 on Tennessee in the snow.

That means there are still only 21 games — two of them in the playoffs — in which a team has scored 60 points.

Rock Island was the first to do it, blanking Evansville, 60-0, on Oct. 15, 1922. Two weeks later, Akron took out coach Jim Thorpe and his Oorang Indians, 62-0.

The last time it happened was Jan. 15, 2000, when Jacksonville wiped out intrastate rival Miami, 62-7, in a divisional playoff game.

The most points and biggest margin of victory came in the Bears' 73-0 whitewashing of the Redskins for the NFL championship in 1940. That's one of two times a team has scored at least 70 points.

Speaking of the Raiders, they're 3-4 and, despite having serious quarterback issues, look a lot better than a lot of people predicted.

They'd be over .500 for the first time in a gazillion years if not for Sebastian Janikowski's game-ending missed field goal from the very makeable distance of 32 yards against Arizona in Week 3. Finishing with six or seven wins seems like a realistic goal.

That's considered serious progress when you've lost at least 11 games for an NFL-record seven straight seasons.

And while the Patriots, who own Oakland's 2011 first-rounder, still figure to be picking in the top half of the draft, it doesn't appear they'll be in the top five, which many assumed would be the case when Richard Seymour was traded to Oakland last September.

Some quick hits and useful numbers with regard to this week's games: The Dolphins are 3-0 on the road as Chad Henne has completed 60.2 percent of his passes for three TDs and an interception. … The Jaguars and Cowboys have split their four meetings, all decided by seven points or less. … The Lions defeated the Redskins, 19-14, last year in Detroit, where they meet again. … The Bills defeated the Chiefs, 16-10, last year in Kansas City, where they meet again. … The Rams, winners of three straight at home, host the Panthers, who are 0-2 on the road. … The Titans, 3-0 on the road, are at San Diego, where they lost, 42-17, last season. … Oakland's Darren McFadden, fresh off a career-high 165 rushing yards and four touchdowns (three rushing), faces the league's No. 2 run defense at home against Seattle. … Buccaneers QB Josh Freeman is 6-3 in his last nine starts as he heads to Arizona. … The Steelers are 10-4 against the NFC under coach Mike Tomlin. The Saints have won eight of the past nine against the AFC. … The Colts are 8-0 against the Texans at home, and 6-0 on “Monday Night Football” since 2000. They lost, 34-24, in Houston in Week 1 as the Texans' Arian Foster rushed for 231 yards and three TDs. … Teams on the bye: Atlanta, Baltimore, Chicago, Cleveland, N.Y. Giants, Philadelphia. And how those coming off it have historically fared: Detroit (9-12), Houston (2-6), Indianapolis (12-9), N.Y. Jets (11-10).

Some random thoughts, in no particular order: The Bills' Ryan Fitzpatrick is the league's second-rated passer, just in case you want to win a bar bet today. The Titans' Vince Young is third, just in case you want to go double or nothing. … Tom Brady checked in at No. 21 on the NFL Network's list of the 100 greatest players. John Hannah, his chief competition for the title of Greatest Patriot Ever, was three spots back. … The Buccaneers' Mike Williams and the Patriots' Aaron Hernandez rank 1-2 in rookie receiving yards. They were drafted in the fourth round, 101st and 113th, respectively. … Please remember to vote Tuesday. And don't do it out of anger, but simply because you can.

Material used in this report was collected from personal interviews, wire services, websites, and league and team sources. Rich Garven can be reached by e-mail at rich.garven@verizon.net or rgarven@telegram.com.

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